Your data is probably not gone. Let us bring it back.

First — take a breath. This is almost never as bad as it feels.

In our experience, the panic of data loss is usually worse than the loss itself. When a drive stops responding or a folder disappears, the data is very often still physically present — the device has merely lost its way to it. The single biggest threat to your files right now is not the fault; it is hurried action taken in fear: reinstalling, re-formatting, running random "repair" tools, or repeatedly restarting a clicking drive.

So pause. Breathe. Write down what happened. Believe that a solution usually exists — because it usually does: the majority of the cases that reach us end in full or substantial recovery, and even the hard ones often yield the files that mattered most. Trust yourself to handle this calmly, follow the do's and don'ts below, and let us carry the technical worry from here. You are not the first person this has happened to, and you will get through it — almost always with your memories and work intact.